#Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

[jibberwockk]

I have met exactly two types of Mormon grandparents when it comes to soda

It’s either:

hates it with vigor, believes that it is against the words of wisdom

Or:

Addicted

[nottskyler]

According to my LDS Temple Calendar, today is the 128th anniversary of when fasting occurred regularly on the first Sunday of the month. So happy first Sunday fast Sunday day!

[tastethebloodofmeatthawsmoth]

breakdown of Mormon mythology:

Everyone who has ever lived or will ever live began as the literal spirit children of heavenly parents - God the Father ("Heavenly Father" in Mormon parlance) and his wife or wives. The essential "intelligence" of these spirits, like matter, is uncreated and eternal, but the spirits are created by marital union between the heavenly parents. These spirit children were happy, but in order to advance to the next level of power and start families of their own, they had to pass through a probationary period in order to receive physical bodies.

In order to do this, a meeting was called in Heaven in order to plan out the world we currently live in. Two plans were presented for this new world, one by the pre-mortal Jesus, then known as Jehovah, the eldest of Heavenly Father's spirit children, and his brother, Lucifer. Lucifer suggested taking away humanity's freedom of choice and making himself the savior of this new world. Jesus suggested giving humanity "agency" (a major term in the Mormon lexicon), as on other worlds. The ensuing conflict caused a war to break out in Heaven, in which Lucifer convinced 1/3rd of the spirits destined for Earth to join him. Thus Lucifer became the devil, and his followers the demons, forever denied bodies of flesh and bone. Heavenly Father, alias Elohim, then created the world with the assistance of Jehovah and the archangel Michael, the pre-mortal Adam. Adam and Eve started the human race, as most of you know, and everyone who has ever lived since then was someone who made the choice to come to earth to receive a physical body and hopefully return to Heavenly Father, achieve the highest level of power, and eventually start their own universe after this probationary period. Mormons are a bit cagey about this, but Mormonism is a polytheistic religion - there are thousands, millions, maybe even billions of gods out there. Gods in Mormon mythology are sort of like dads. Dads are everywhere, you may eventually become a dad yourself, but you only have one. The cycle will continue forever. Mormons believe that Jesus was the first-born of God's spirit children, but also have their own gross take on the virgin birth. They believe God literally traveled to Earth and physically impregnated Mary; hence Jesus is referred to as "first begotten in the spirit and only begotten in the flesh." Mormon theology says that Jesus atoned for humanity's sins, not only on the cross, but in the garden of Gethsemane. After his death and resurrection, Jesus traveled to the Americas to preach to the American Indians, who Mormons believe are actually the descendants of ancient Israelites, and established his church in the Americas as he did in Palestine. Eventually all of the righteous, white Nephites were exterminated by the dark-skinned Lamanites, but not before they recorded their history on gold plates that were buried by the last living Nephite, Moroni, in what is today upstate New York. Many years later, Moroni, as an angel, visited the young prophet Joseph Smith and revealed the location of these plates, which would eventually become the Book of Mormon. And that's why we're here today. If any current or former Latter-day Saints, or anyone who simply knows more about this than me has any comments or corrections, I'd like to hear them. This is practice for me writing my book about Mormonism.

[gettingsoaked]

Mormonism 101

One of the reasons for this project is that Mormonism, through its global missionary program, shows like South Park and the Book of Mormon musical, and the music of Donny Osmond, is a very visible religion, yet at the same time its basic tenets, beliefs, and practices are almost totally unknown to anyone except initiates. Most people are aware of Mormons, but couldn't tell you much about the religion. So what is Mormonism? Let's start with terminology. While "Mormon" and "Mormonism" are well-established, people who are usually called Mormons are actually members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Mormon" is a nickname or exonym drawn from the religion's principle scripture, the Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name of what to most people is "the Mormon Church." The term "Mormon" is discouraged, as is the abbreviation LDS. Official Church sources stress that the full name should be used whenever possible, but suggest using the abbreviations, “Church of Jesus Christ” or “Christ’s Church,” which seem more to me like ambiguous theopolitical statements than useful short forms. Apologies to any LDS readers, but I'll be using "Mormon," "Latter-day Saint," and "LDS" more or less interchangeably.

Mormonism is a Christian restorationist denomination, which means that Mormons believe their religion is a restoration of primitive (in the sense of first or original) Christianity. Mormonism is a Christian religion to the extent that its central figure is Jesus Christ, but has several major differences from mainstream Christianity, which we'll get to in later posts. (I personally believe that Mormonism originates in Christianity, but is not Christian in the same way that Christianity originated from Judaism but isn't Jewish.) The Church was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr, who hailed from upstate New York and is regarded by believers as a prophet similar to the way Jews & Christians view Moses or Muslims view Muhammad. Smith had visions from the spirit world telling him to organize his own church, as all Christian creeds were an abomination in the eyes of God, and leading him to a new volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, written by some of the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas on golden plates, and buried on the Hill Cumorah. Smith allegedly translated this record, the Book of Mormon, through the gift and power of God. The Bible, the Book of Mormon, a collection of Smith and other Latter-day prophets' revelations called the Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price, consisting of some excerpts from Smith's revision of the Bible and other ephemera, constitute the open Latter-day Saint scriptural canon. After Smith's assassination, his successor Brigham Young led the Mormons to Utah, and eventually the religion grew to become a global faith. The Church is headed by a president that adherents consider a modern prophet, seer, and revelator, and they consider themselves the only true, authorized church on earth today. They have many distinctive teachings on the nature of God, the afterlife, health and diet, finances, and other matters that I plan to cover in future posts. (Any corrections are always welcome, but I think this is pretty accurate!)

[rabbitcruiser]

Five hundred Mormons left Iowa City for the Mormon Trail on June 9, 1856.

[mormonbooks]

Daughter of the Deep Review

Alright, it's been a little while since I finished this book but I'm finally writing the review.

4/5 stars!

This book is by Rick Riordan, and while he's not a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- so this book doesn't technically fit my "by mormons about mormons" criteria -- I wanted to include this book because it's one of the only pieces of mainstream media that has casual mormon rep that I've ever heard of.

Summary - Ana Dakaar's freshman finals trip gets turned into a life-death situation when Harding-Pencroft (the school she and her friends attend) is destroyed. The freshmen are the only ones left standing and they discover that there is more to their school than they originally thought -- Captain Nemo from 1000 Leagues Under the sea (also known as Prince Dakaar) was a real person, and their school was built to honor his memory and continue researching the incredibly advanced naval and marine technology that he had invented. Ana has to trust her friends Esther, Nelinha, and Gemini (as well as herself) while they try to win a war they never realized they were a part of.

Gemini Twain is the only Mormon character and he is great. Spoilers under the cut.

Well written - 5 Stars.

Listen, it's Rick Riordan. He's good at writing, what am I gonna say?

2. Fun Level - 5 Stars.

The story is just jam packed with fun and entertaining moments and ideas. The advanced technology is intriguing and silly at the same time, the characters are engaging and their relationships are fun! I had a great time jumping from suspenseful action moments, to heartfelt friendships, to tender introspection, and back to silly sci-fi. It's just a blast.

3. Complex Faith - 4 Stars.

Gemini's faith isn't explored very much, because he's not a POV character. That being said, he is one of the main characters that Ana interacts with, and we get hints that his relationship to his religion is complex. His parents are hippies, and he never knew them because he was raised by his grandmother. She is the one who introduced him and his brother to the church. His brother is on a mission, and Gemini is the only Mormon at HP. He's a really lonely kid. We don't get the sense that he's close with a faith community in the area. Although we don't know Gemini's personal relationship with God, his backstory makes him a unique enough Mormon character (basically, not a Peter Priesthood) that I think he warrants a high score in this regard.

4. Homophobia Scale - 4 Stars.

There is absolutely no romance in this book. I know people like the ship Ana and Gem and there is certainly room for that (and the difference in religion would be interesting to explore) but there is also room for all the characters to be ace, or literally whatever. So, while there are no gay characters, there are also no straight characters. Everyone is just ... trying not to die actually.

5. Mormon Weird - 1 star.

Because Gemini isn't a POV character, we don't get a lot of Mormon specific things. There is a moment where Gemini unthinkingly talks to a Nelinha (who is from Brazil) about his brother who is on a mission in Brazil, as if Nelinha would somehow know his brother even though Brazil is a huge place, which seems like a specifically Mormon Moment to me (in an affectionately, "Oh yikes, we do that don't we" way), but yeah. Not a lot of Mormon Weird included in this book.

6. Diversity of Characters - 5 stars!

Ana - Indian American, Hindu, multilingual (English, Irish, ASL, Bundeli, etc)

Nelinha - Brazilian, bilingual (English, Portuguese)

Esther - European American, Autistic (and written very well from my opinion), has an Emotional Support Dog

Gemini Twain - African-American, Mormon,

Plus lots of other characters who show up throughout the novel, all with their own backstories, ethnicities, and personalities. I love them all.

7. Other Problematic Stuff - 5 stars

Nothing to report. It was just great.

Conclusion - Please read this book!! It's just so much fun, the cast is so great, the world is fascinating, and the plot is engaging. I love Gemini Twain with all of my heart and I want everyone else to know and love him too. It's also just so refreshing to read a book that acknowledges our existence, and allows a Mormon to be one of the heroes in a sci-fi story, just like ... casually. I love him.

I said in my goodreads review that:  "I didn't necessarily see myself in Gem, but I saw all the boys I grew up with in Sunday School, the guys I served my mission with, and the men I met at BYU." He's a good one.

[bestseasonsoflife]

Christmas Lights at the Mormon Temple 2023-5 by Amaury Laporte

[thecagedsong]

Just had my Sunday School lesson for teenagers go off the rails in the best way possible.

The lesson was the entirety of the last supper. My plan was to frame the events before the Garden in a "what would you do with your 'last' day/this is what Christ did with his 'last' day"

We were reading through the hints Christ was giving to tell Judas that Christ knew what he was going to do and wasn't going to stop Judas, which incidentally set the apostles into a fit of self-reflection, when a boy asked.

"Why did Christ let Judas become an apostle then, even if they were planning on capturing Christ anyway, why let someone be so close if they were just going to betray him?"

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!

They struggled for a bit. Maybe because he did more good as a follower than evil as a betrayer? Maybe to make the story more dramatic and memorable?

Then one kid said there wasn't a point to Judas' story except don't betray Christ because he didn't feel guilty. (Good kid, good parents that read scriptures and have gospel discussions with him and his sister, usually knows the stories better than the rest of class, pleasure to teach him something)

Another kid corrected him and said he felt so guilty he hung himself.

(Sister of the one kid with the good family was shocked and aghast, hadn't remembered that part)

I explained how Judas's story is recorded (running out of time to read). And I asked them what could Judas have done.

All my usual smartypants were stumped. He died, he tried to give back the silver, and wasn't he going to hell anyway, that's what the apostles made is sound like and what the Catholics teach.

I said, "That's not what Christ said, remember when we talked about Christ washing their feet, and how you need him? What did Christ say he should have done?"

Kids thinking it over

Then a kid that was quiet the whole class, only reading when called upon, said "Repent"

I could see them get it. The good kid actually said "Wait, the atonement covers even betraying Christ?" despite hearing about how the atonement covered everything his entire life.

Yes, even that. The whole lesson made me so happy. I hope these kids remember it, I sure will.

[onedayillbeasaint]

A new Easter message from President Nelson! ❤️🌿🌷🌸🌼✝️

ComeUntoChrist.org

[mindfulldsliving]

Apostolic Christianity Restored: How the LDS Church Revives Christ's Original Teachings

What if the Christianity practiced today wasn’t quite what Christ Himself established? For many, this idea sparks curiosity. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints answers this question by claiming to restore the original Apostolic Christianity, complete with Christ’s teachings, ordinances, and priesthood authority. Grounded in scripture and revelation, this restoration offers a…

[jolikmc-thoughts]

Today I Learned™

The founding members of The Aquabats! are Mormon.

Oh, and Mr. Jacobs' dad was kind of a big deal. So, that's neat.

[nottskyler]

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Nathan. The people lived happily together for the most part, but there were occasional issues between the non-Christian and Christian populations. One day, a Christian advisor named Saul was appointed to the King.

Saul had seen a non-Christian use the Christian bathroom (they were divided such because at the time of the founding of the kingdom, the non-Christians preferred squat toilets). He was severely offended that the great name of Christianity was defiled. He presented a proposition to the King that made using the wrong restroom illegal. In order for this proposal to become a decree, they had to agree upon a definition of Christian, and, as happened many times before in history, the acceptance of the Nicene Creed was the determining factor. Then the decree was declared in all corners of the kingdom.

The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (to be abbreviated as Mormon for that was how the common Christian of Nathan viewed them) were appalled by this declaration for this excluded them from the definition of Christian and they had been using the Christian bathrooms ever since establishing the first branch there fifty years ago. Some complied, others filed a lawsuit against the decree and it was put on hold until it could come to trial.

The trial came. The Mormons showed evidence that they had been using the restrooms without incident for years, that using the non-Christian restroom made a mockery of their faith in Jesus Christ, and that it would be better to distinguish between porcelain thrones and squat toilets than by religion. But the courtroom acted as if they never heard a single one of their arguments when Saul took the stand and spoke to the Christian court that Christians were good people who promised to do no harm and any time a non-Christian like these Mormons stepped foot in the bathrooms the Christians were in danger. It was best to leave the non-Christians to harm each other in the non-Christian bathroom. The court didn’t allow the Mormons another rebuttal where they were sure that proving that illegal acts are still illegal whether or not it happens in the bathroom would help their case. The court held the law as just and the decree took effect immediately.

A group of Mormons staged a sit-in, where they sang songs about Christ while occupying the Christian bathrooms. They were immediately imprisoned if they refused to write a public notice in agreement of the Nicene Creed. Those who failed to do so, which was the majority of the protestors, were thrown in jail and fed a poison because it was nicknamed Mormon-feed.

Mormons had to feel like they were denying their faith by going into the non-Christian bathroom every time they were in public or hide their identity as members of the Church and go into the Christian bathrooms and hope to not get caught. They felt uncomfortable staying in public for they remembered how quickly they were rejected by their fellow Christians. Also, they didn’t want to use any restroom where they would be risking prison or denying their faith.

But the persecution didn’t stop there. Another decree came that made it illegal to proselyte non-Christian faiths. Another that banned any declaration of belonging to a non-Christian religion in public where children might see or hear. Another closed the Mormon Church buildings. Another made it a crime to exist in public as a Mormon. And they never recognized the Mormon faith as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This didn’t stop the true believers and there were still converts in this dark time. For people are drawn to truth even when it is rejected by society. But they couldn’t hold jobs, were lonely, and many died in prison due to the poison.

Oh what a wicked kingdom, you declare in response to this story. Except this is your kingdom and the United States. For this is a tale like unto Nathan’s to King David. “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” Matthew 25:45

[tingstersidedish]

My Journey to Be One With Christ

Good morning, brothers & sisters. I have opted to forgo the usual introduction new ward members offer and dive right into my talk. I pray that as I do so, the Holy Ghost will be with us all, opening our hearts to hear the words that our Father in Heaven would have us hear.  I was excited when my husband said he received a text asking if we would be willing to speak in church. I had felt for a…

[gettingsoaked]

Articles of Faith, part 1

The Articles of Faith are a canonized statement of basic LDS theology written by their prophet, Joseph Smith, in a letter to a man named John Wentworth who had requested information about the Latter-day Saints for his newspaper, the Chicago Democrat. In this series, I will discuss each of them in turn.

Article of Faith #1 "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." This, on the surface, is an orthodox-looking statement of trinitarian theology. All Christians believe in one God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. However, Mormons do not believe that there is one God in three divine Persons. Mormons believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct personages or beings, united in will and purpose so closely that they might be considered one God, but are still three separate people.

God, the Eternal Father - Mormons believe that God the Father is the literal father of their spirits. Before this period of mortal probation, we all lived up in Heaven with God. Latter-day Saints refer to God, or Heavenly Father, by "the exalted name-title Elohim." "Elohim" literally means "gods," and is one of the Biblical names for deity. Joseph Smith taught that God was once a man and dwelt on an earth, but how and where this happened is unclear. In one of his revelations, Smith taught that God the Father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as a mortal man's. and in His son, Jesus Christ - Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the eldest of Elohim's spirit children. They also believe that Elohim physically impregnated the Virgin Mary in the same way that every other mother in impregnated. As such, the Latter-day Saints often refer to Jesus as God's "first begotten in the spirit and only begotten in the flesh." The Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus, in pre-mortality, is the Jehovah or YHWH of the Old Testament. He is the savior of this world, and paid for our sins not only on the cross, but in the garden of Gethsemane, where, according to Mormon scripture, he trembled with pain and bled from every pore. and in the Holy Ghost - the prophet Joseph Smith taught that God the Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone, but the Holy Ghost is a "personage of spirit," and as a personage of spirit is able to dwell within us. The Book of Mormon teaches that "by the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things," and Mormons believe that He is prompting and guiding them throughout their lives, mostly through quiet feelings and thoughts. All of these Persons in the Godhead are circumscribed by their physicality and while their influence is felt throughout the entire world, are capable of being in only one place at one time. As always, questions, comments, and critique are welcome!

[ck-overanalyzes-scriptures]

July 22-July 28 Scripture Study Thoughts

(Studying Topical Guide: Jesus Christ, Mission of)

Colossians 1:16-17. All things were created by Jehovah. Verse 16 specifically lists thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, which I thought was interesting, as these seem to be man-made constructs. This consideration led to the following thought: It was His mission to create all things and He still causes all things to be. Anything we have is actually His. We may think we have dominion, but its just on loan from Him, so we should take care how we manage and rule over it.

Colossians 1:18-19. It was Jesus's mission to be the first to be resurrected - reborn - from the dead, thus He is the firstborn. Others will come in the first resurrection and be firstborn but He is the first of the first born, showing us the way. It is His mission to lead and rule over the Church. It is His mission to have all fulness.

An adjacently related thought that came to me: I think it's often framed as being part of the first resurrection is a reward for righteousness, which means coming forth in other resurrections is a punishment. I do think the first resurrection is a reward, but the other resurrections being delayed is an act of mercy, not punishment. The first resurrection will take place at the beginning of the Millennium while the others will be at the end. That gives those that didn't qualify for the first resurrection one thousand extra years to repent, change their ways, accept Christ, and have their work done. God will give us every possible chance to change and be with Him.

John 6:37-40. Verse 37 starts with "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me." This phrasing can make it sound like predestination - like the Father has already designated specific people that will be saved while others will not be. That is not supported by our doctrine. Perhaps it could be phrased as "The Father gives Me all those that come to Me." I rephrase it to propose that it may not be that specific people have already been chosen, but that the Father has told Jesus to keep all that sincerely come to Him. That there's not already a set group of "these are Jesus's," but that we become part of the group that belongs to Jesus based on our actions and coming to Him.

John 12:23-28. "Now my soul has become troubled. But what should I do about it? Pray and say 'Father, save Me from this hour?' This hour is the very reason I came! So instead I pray 'Father, glorify Your name.'" Jesus was scared when He faced having to perform the atonement. But he knew it was His very purpose. When the time came, He did ask the Father to let the cup pass from Him (Matthew 26:39), but only if it was the Father's will, only if there was another way. And there wasn't. So He submitted, despite the pain and the fear, focusing on the joy that would result from it (Hebrews 12:2). We may be scared when we face hardship. We may ask the Father to let it pass from us. But if that is not His will, let us submit faithfully, instead praying for strength to do His will and focusing on the joy we will one day have by doing so.

[cutegirlmayra]

This made me cry TAT